BLACKSBURG, Va., April 20, 2004 – A student and a faculty member from Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business have been selected to participate in the GM Sullivan Fellowship Program that seeks to promote principles of corporate social responsibility developed by the late Rev. Leon H. Sullivan.
Alex Karjavine, of Richmond, a sophomore majoring in finance, has been selected as the Sullivan Fellow.
Mary Connerley, of Blacksburg, and an associate professor of management, has been selected as the faculty adviser/mentor.
The program, a partnership between General Motors and the United Negro College Fund, is designed to educate students about the Global Sullivan Principles through campus-based courses and workshops developed by the participating institutions and individuals.
Connerley, who applied for the program, will receive a $5,000 grant to develop a module for a management course, "Ethical Leadership and Corporate Responsibility," and workshops based on the Sullivan Principles for faculty, staff, and students in the fall semester. Connerley's research interests include diversity issues. She is a member of the college's Diversity Committee and was selected as a Multicultural Fellow at Virginia Tech. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in Human Resource Management from the University of Iowa.
Karjavine, who is originally from Moscow, Russia, will receive a $5,000 scholarship following successful completion of a paid summer internship at a GM facility and the completion of a written and oral presentation on the Sullivan Principles. He will assist Connerley in developing and delivering the module and workshops. He and Connerley attended a recent GM-hosted training workshop on the Sullivan Principles.
Sullivan, who died in 2001, was a Philadelphia minister and civil rights leader who became the first black member of GM's board of directors in 1971. He developed the Sullivan Principles in 1977 as a code of conduct for companies operating in South Africa. The Sullivan Principles are generally acknowledged to have helped end workplace discrimination and apartheid there. To expand human rights and economic development to all communities, Sullivan created the Global Sullivan Principles of Social Responsibility in 1997.
Virginia Tech's nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of leadership skills and ethical values and the integration of technology in the academic curriculum, and prepares students for global business challenges through faculty-led study abroad programs. The college has research centers that focus on business leadership, electronic commerce, energy modeling, and wireless telecommunications. The college is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students.